Ridgewood Masonic Temple in Bushwick designated landmark

The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Ridgewood Masonic Temple in Bushwick a city landmark yesterday in a unanimous decision.

The Beaux-Arts structure was erected at 1054 Bushwick Avenue, near Gates Avenue, in 1920. Fraternal society the Freemasons uses the 15,000-square-foot space for meetings and parties. Bands such as Sleigh Bells and Lightning Bolt have performed in the first-floor theater in recent years, as previously reported.

“Significant features of the building include a rusticated stone base, terra-cotta details (including Masonic symbols), two-story arched bays containing a multi-pane sash, Ionic columns at the entry portico, a terra-cotta cornice decorated with an egg and dart molding and dentils, and a brick parapet with terra-cotta coping blocks,” the commission said in a statement cited by Curbed.

The property was on the market for $1 million in 2010. Listing broker Joseph Baglio, a partner at Madison Estates, had been marketing it as a conversion into a single-family mansion or condominiums. [Curbed] — Mark Maurer